Its been happening in the queer community for a while now – and it disturbs me on several levels. I have watched as various Christian churches setup shop in our community, claiming to welcome and embrace all. In Oklahoma City, we now have a so-called “affirming” Church right next to our bars, on the main drag in the gayborhood. For the most part, they do embrace all as far as I can tell. But by us accepting them, we are sending a message to the younger generation that Christianity is an acceptable belief system by which to pattern your life after. By allowing these establishments into our community, we are legitimizing them and saying that a belief in them is OK.

Anyone who has spent any time reading the Bible (any version, take your pick) knows that said book is full of hatred for women and minorities of nearly every stripe. Further, Christianity is a life blueprint, its followers are expected to follow the plan laid out in the Bible in all aspects of their lives. The fact that several generations of holy men have worked tirelessly to present a gentler, kinder face for Christianity does not change the fact that its roots are in the barbaric practices of racism, sexism and hatred for those not like them. As such, Christianity is irreconcilably incompatible with values most of us in the queer community hold up: equality, freedom to personal belief, etc.

Let me be direct: Christianity, or more specifically – a belief in it, is a mental defect. If you believe in Christianity, you have a mental illness. Pure and simple. Why do I say this? Because belief in Christianity requires belief in things that you can neither see, nor prove exist. If someone talks to themselves and claims to see things that no one else sees, we call this person retarded, insane, mentally defective or whatever the current politically correct term is at the time. Why do we allow Christians a free pass on this?

The practice of Christianity has resulted in more bloodshed worldwide than every war humanity has ever fought combined. The queer community has suffered more unpleasantries at the hands of so-called men of the cloth than from all other sources combined. This is a fact that most do not dispute. Those who do dispute it are unable to provide any convincing evidence to the contrary. When someone espouses a hatred for or disapproval of homosexual/queer conduct, the justification for spewing forth that hatred or disapproval is overwhelmingly the spewer’s belief in Christianity. If you, as a fellow queer, recall all of the times you have been verbally assaulted for being who you are and then think of what justification the person who assaulted you had, 9 times out of 10 you’d find that you were dealing with some flavor of Christian religious nut.

I guess I am somewhat biased when it comes to this matter, for I do not believe in Christianity. I don’t believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, nor do I believe that there is a man in the sky who made the world in seven days. I don’t believe that I can be struck dead when said man chooses and I firmly believe that (except when I am drunk or high) I and I alone am in control of my actions, my life and my destiny. Numerous challenges to prove the existence of the Christian god have went unfulfilled. No one has ever proven beyond reproach that he even exists. This being the case, why do we allow our community to be taken yet again by Christianity? Haven’t the queers collectively suffered enough at the cruel hands of Christianity?

Friends don’t let friends become Christians. If you or someone you know is being taken in by the Christ lie, please help them see the light. And by see the light, I mean see reality. There is no god. Jesus never existed. And Christian churches exist solely to take money from the community and keep the queers in line so that they don’t become a force for good. As long as we allow Christian churches into our communities, we will always be oppressed. Only when we can rise up and call the Church on its bullshit beliefs, will we have a shot at truly being free.